Things to do in Salt Lake city

Estimated read time 4 min read

From Red Butte Garden to Thanksgiving Point, Salt Lake is home to private and public gardens that are accessible, beautiful, and make exploring the outdoors easy. Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, and the Tracy Aviary make it easy to get up close with animals from around the world. When you visit Salt Lake, there’s more than just bar hopping. You can explore the mountains sure, and probably hike and camp until your toes fall off. Take a look at Things to do in Salt Lake city below.

Things to do in Salt Lake city

Visit Family History Library

Things to do in Salt Lake city

People are attracted from all over the world to come to Salt Lake City and complete genealogical work at the Family History Library- the world’s largest genealogical library in the world! The library provides experienced guides, genealogists, and collections that can help you with your family history, all free of charge.

Discover Clark Planetarium

Things to do in Salt Lake city

Clark Planetarium is a fairly new institution in Salt Lake City replacing the Hansen Planetarium in 2003. It features the Hansen Dome Theater, a digital state of the art dome theater with interactive seat button controls, and a super high definition 3-D movie experience (more than you can ever experience in a regular theater and without the need for 3-D glasses), ATK IMAX Theater featuring science and nature-themed movies in the daytime and Hollywood movies in the evenings on a certified big screen and numerous free exhibits covering over 10,000 square feet.

Exhibits include a computer animation globe called Science on a Sphere, an audio-kinetic sculpture known as Newton’s Daydream, a Foucault pendulum, meteorites, a globe of the Earth, telescope displays and much more. It is one of the few places to see a real moon rock sample taken from the Apollo 15 mission. Many new exhibits are added regularly, so a visit here never gets old.

Visit Temple Square

Things to do in Salt Lake city

Temple Square is one of the most visited attractions in Salt Lake City. Located in the center of the city, it is a 35-acre area providing historical sites, restaurants, and beautiful landscaping and is a must-see when visiting Utah. Containing too many attractions to list here, Temple Square is an experience like no other.

You can visit Beehive House, the home of Brigham Young and experience living in 1856, or listen to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Assembly Hall (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) is located in the south-west corner of Temple Square and is a visual jewel of a Gothic-style building with stained-glass windows built by the Latter-Day Saints sometime between 1877 and 1882. You can also see the Church History Library and Church History Museum, get lost in the aroma of the Gardens, or enjoy a show at the Legacy Theater located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Though these are just a few of the sites located in Temple Square, most attractions can be visited free of charge, so don’t miss out on the full tour.

Take A Guided Tour

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If you don’t want to miss out on some of the best tourist attractions in Salt Lake City, guided sightseeing tours are available. It isn’t quite as simple as booking a tour bus though. There are a few different options to consider to mold your vacation into the ideal experience for your own personal tastes.

Depending on where your interests lie, there are tours specifically for people interested in seeing the Mormon Temples at Temple Square, Great Salt Lake, or you may want to go on the Mountain Canyon tours or Mountain Tram Rides if you love a little adventure and aren’t too afraid of heights. If you can’t decide, there is always the Salt Lake City Grand Tour – the most comprehensive tour of all that will last two to three hours while you explore and learn about the history of the city and Mormon pioneers, view Salt Lake Valley from the lookout point, see Olympic Stadium and Olympic Village and other wonderful places.

Hike To The Summit of Mount Timpanogos

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If you’re looking for an all-day hike near Salt Lake City, and my personal favorite of any hike I’ve done in Utah, make sure to check out Mt. Timpanogos. There are two routes to reach the summit, and my preferred is definitely the Timpooneke Trail via American Fork Canyon, totaling a 15 mile out and back hike with gradual climbs and absolutely breathtaking views that change along the way (the alternative route on the  Aspen Grove Trail is shorter, steeper, and absolutely stunning as well). Be prepared for steep climbing at the end!

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